Vanishing River Cruise Lunch Canceled

The River Cruise lunch has been canceled. If you sent us a check, we will return that check to you. We're not sure why it will not take place, but we think the lake levels have something to do with it. Please bring a cooler with picnic supplies for your lunch that day. We're looking forward to seeing you soon!

Meals, Mementos and More!

Jensen Family Reunion 2009
Canyon of the Eagles Lodge near Burnet, Texas
June 25-28 (Beginning Thursday for the early birds through Sunday morning)

Dear Cousins,
We can't wait to see you in a few short months! Now that your reservations are made, it is time for our favorite thing- food. Please fill in an return the last page with all of your meal information by May 15.

Early bird information:
For those arriving early, we are working on the logistics of Thursday dinner in the restaurant. Special reservations are required, so we are attempting to give them a general count of people for this. Friday morning, the lodge has a free continental breakfast (only for weekdays). However, the restaurant is not open for lunch. We have explored the option of a Vanishing Texas River Cruise for lunch on Friday. This is an approximately two-hour cruise around Lake Buchanan to see the various waterfalls and wildlife. This cruise departs from The Canyon of the Eagles property. To have a cruise reservation (this would be a special arrangement just for us), a minimum group of 20 people is required. The price for the lunch cruise is $22 adults/ $17 for children 8th grade and below. This price would include the cruise and a box lunch consisting of a croissant sandwich, chips, etc. If you are arriving early, and are interested in the lunch cruise, please send a separate check for payment. If we do not have the minimum amount of people interested, it will be easy to return your check to you.

Tentative Schedule
Thursday:
Check-in time- 3:00 pm
Evening- Mike O'Toole will be hosting a "Gettin' old ain't for Sissies" gathering to wet your whistle prior to dinner.
Dinner- On your own- The Lodge Restaurant

Friday:
Breakfast- Free continental breakfast
Lunch- Vanishing Texas River cruise/ lunch or bring your own sandwiches
Check-in time 3:00 pm
Dinner- "Reunion Reception" in the Live Oak Room (Our conference room)- This meal of ham and such will be available from 5:30-7:00 to accommodate a variety of arrival times.
After dinner fun- Guys Texas Hold 'Em Poker/ Gals Bunko/ Kids Movie and Popcorn (Bring your pillow)

Saturday:
Breakfast- On your own- You can opt for the Lodge Restaurant (There are continental and hot buffet options for about $8-$10) or bring your own breakfast goodies. Coffee will be available in your room and in our conference room.
Morning- Kids coloring, craft, and scavenger hunt
Lunch- "Hot diggity dog lunch" picnic style
Afternoon- Ice cream by the pool- There are also lake rental options such as canoes and kayaks as well as hiking trails, etc.
Dinner- "Texas Barbecue Bonanza" in the Live Oak Room
After dinner fun- The Newlywed Game and Family Feud/ S'mores

Sunday:
Breakfast- On your own/ Farewells


Miscellaneous Information:

1. We will use the "Live Oak Room" (a large conference room) for meals and visiting throughout the reunion. Coffee and tea will be available here throughout the weekend.
2. There is a game room for us to share with a television.
3. All lodge rooms are on the first floor.
4. There is a swimming pool as well as a lake. You can find information on canoe, kayak, and paddleboat rentals at www.lakebuchananadventures.com
5. On your way to Canyon of the Eagles, if you need a place to stop for lunch, we highly recommend the Monument Cafe in Georgetown. The resort restaurant is not open for lunch, so plan accordingly. The road to the resort is also quite winding so you may not want to come and go.
6. Pray for rain! Due to the current drought conditions, much of Texas is under a burn ban (which may affect our plans for cooking s'mores) and the lake levels are low. We are hopeful that spring rains will take care of this.

Items to bring:

1. Flashlight
2. Insect repellant
3. Comfortable walking shoes
4. Baby monitor if you want to visit outside your room while the little ones sleep
5. Snacks/ sodas to share if you wish
6. Poker chips (That's right, poker chips!) if you happen to own some
7. Lawn chairs for the lake area
8. Each branch of the family will have a special area to display old family photos, new family photos, mementos, etc. So bring anything you'd like to display for the weekend.

See you soon!
Mike and Nancy and family


www.canyonoftheeagles.com (See the website for information) For reservations call 1.800.977.0081. Reservations cannot be made online because rooms are blocked for us. It's not too late!

Driving Directions:
From Austin
Follow I-35 North and take Hwy 29 West through Burnet to FM 2341. Follow FM2341 to the right (Northwest) until you come upon Canyon of the Eagles at the end of the road.

From Dallas/ Fort Worth
Take I-30 West to I-20 West and veer south on Hwy 281 to Hwy 29. Take 29 West to FM 2341. Turn right and follow 2341 until you come upon Canyon of the Eagles at the end of the road.

From Houston
Take 290 West for approximately 145 miles. Exit I-35 North to Highway 29 West. Turn right on FM 2341 until you come upon Canyon of the Eagles at the end of the road.

From San Antonio:
Take 281 North to Hwy 29 West. Follow Hwy 29 to FM 2341 and turn right. FM 2341 will bring you to the entrance of the resort.



Items to return by May 15:
Food information and payment
Pictures- one 4x6 individual photo of each member of your family for our family tree. This will be separate from the family photo/memento display area. Please send photos or we will be quite busy drawing pictures of everyone.

First Reservations Made!

Connie Britton was the first to make her reservation for the 2009 Jensen Family Reunion.

Other cousins who have made reservations are:

Bev McMurray

Bob Foster

Byron Garibaldi

Edith Barry

Elisa Smith

Jensen Fortner

Leslie Blasig

Linda McQuinn

Nancy O’Toole

Nell Garibaldi

Nina Nugent

Norma Foster

Robert Jensen

Scott Garibaldi

Sheila Moritz

Reunion 2009

Jensen Family Reunion

June 25-27, 2009

Canyon of the Eagles Lodge- Burnet, Texas

1-800-977-0081

Dear Jensen Cousins,
It is time to mark your calendars for our next family reunion. It is approximately one year away! After a thorough search (where we found too many alligators, meeting rooms too small, too far away, etc.) of the state of Texas, we have selected Canyon of the Eagles Lodge in Burnet, Texas. The resort is the property of the Lower Colorado River Authority and is on the largest of the Highland Lakes near Austin.

The resort has a total of 62 rooms, all of which are being held for us at this time. The rooms have concrete stained floors, which while pretty, would not be comfortable for a sleeping bag. Each cousin will want a bed. The price for a room will be $145. There are two types of rooms:

• Cabin rooms- sets of four individual rooms located in a row. The two center rooms in the row have connecting doors if you need two rooms together. Connecting rooms each have two beds. We highly recommend two rooms for families with children so you will have more room to spread out. Non-connecting rooms on the ends of the row each have one bed and a single window seat bed.
• Cottage rooms- sets of four rooms clustered together with a central hallway. Each of these rooms contains two beds.
  

All rooms have porches. Rocking chairs are located throughout the resort if anyone wishes to have a rock-a-thon.

What to do now:

1. Call to make your reservation- 1-800-977-0081. Inform the resort that you are part of the Jensen reunion and when you will arrive. They have approximately 20 rooms held for those who would like to arrive early on Thursday. The more the merrier! You will be asked for a $100 deposit, which is fully refundable if cancelled 30 days in advance. It is important for us to book our rooms soon and hopefully fill all 62 rooms. If we fill the resort, we will have private use of all facilities including their dining room. It is our hope that each cousin will come and stay. We miss you when you come for only a short time. One member of our family thinks we should find Jensen look-alikes to fill extra rooms.
2. Fill out and return the enclosed card stating your room preferences and other information. We will be handling room assignments for the resort.
3. Please send a recent individual snapshot size (4x6, 5x7, etc.) photo of each member of your family for a large family tree wall.

Other info:

• Meal plans are still in the planning stage. Suggestions are welcome (sooner rather than later). Alcoholic beverages are not sold at the resort, so we are allowed to bring our own in.
  
• Activities such as kayaking, swimming, canoeing, star watching (an observatory is close by), hiking, as well as paddle boats, pontoon boats, and Vanishing Texas river cruises are available.
• Due to the nearby Observatory, the resort has a nighttime low light policy. Start collecting your flashlights. The resort is filled with natural terrain (no perfect sidewalks), so also plan to bring your tennis shoes.
• Check jensenfamilyreunion.blogspot.com from time to time for updates. We look forward to hearing from each of you and have placed bets on who will make reservations and send in their photos and information cards first. On your mark…get set… go!

See you next summer!
Mike and Nancy – (979)-224-6551 or nurse_nancyj@hotmail.com

Anne Marye
Leslie and Derryk
Nan and Chris, Abigail and Natalie
Michael and Heather
Jennie and Ben, Garrison and Grant